Rolling screen



N. H. NELSON ROLLING SCREEN June 4, 1929.

Filed Oct. 7, 1927 Qwentm MJ'LNEL-STOJY attain;

Patented June 4, 1929.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE.

NELS H. NELSON, O1 DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROLSCREEN COMPANY,

' F PELLA, IOWA, .A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

ROLLING SCREEN.

Application filed October 7, 1927. Serial No. 224,602.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvementin the con struction of screens of the type designed to be wound andunwound relative to a roller mounted in a housing and to have its sidemargins arranged for travel in slotted tracks or guides.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved constructionfor 'a latch for the screen and an improved method of mounting suchlatch relative to the track. With these and other objects in view, myinvention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination ofelements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the claims and indicatedby the accompanying drawin ,in which:

ig. 1 is an elevation partly in section, of a window frame equipped withmy improved rolling screen, a portion being broken away. I Fig. 2 is anenlarged vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section on the line 3-3.of Fig. 1. p 2Fig.4 is a detail horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2,illustrating one of the spring latches and the carrier therefor.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a small section of track, showing themeans for preventing upward movement of the carrier for the springlatch. 0

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a spring latch and the carrier therefor.

In the accompanying drawings, I have used the numeral 20 to indicategenerally, a

sheet metal housing which is designed to be.

mounted transversely at the upper end of an opening, such for instanceas is defined by a window frame 21 or other similar structure, saidframe being provided at its lower end with a ledge or sill 22. Mountedrigidly in and centrally of the housing 20 and ex.- tending from end toend thereof is a spindle or rod 23. A roller 24 of hollow form. isjournaled on the spindle 23 and extends longitudinally of the housing20. A coil spring 26 is wound on the spindle 23 and has one end attachedthereto and the opposite end attached to the roller 24 so that power maybe stored in said spring to tend to pro. duce a rotation of the rollerin one direction. A sheet of screen mesh 27 is attached at one of itsend margins to the roller 24 and is adapted to be wound thereon and tobe extended through a longitudinal slot 28 formed at the lower rearcorner of the housing 20.

Mounted at the side margins of the opening defined by the window frame21 are vertical tracks or guides A and B, which tracks extend from thesill 22 to the bottom of the housing 20 at a point adjacent andimmediately below the slot 28. The tracks A and B are adapted to receivethe side margins of the screen 27 and. other elements carrled therebywhen the screen is withdrawn from the housing. Each track A and B'preferably comprises a substantially cylindrical guide portion 29 and anattaching flange 30 by means of which the track is secured to the windowframe. Each cylindrical guide 29 is formed with a longitudinal slot oropenin 31 "on the side opposite to the attaching ange 30 and directedtoward the median line of the window frame, through which slot onemarginal portion of the screen is adapted to extend and in which it isarranged for travel.

A binder strip 32 is attached to the lower marginal portion of thescreen 27 and extends transversely over thatportion of the screennormally extending between the spaced tracks A and B, said binder stripincluding a finger ledge 33 bent substantially 'at right angles at 1tslower mar in and adapted to contact the upper face 0 the sill 22. Afriction block 34 is mounted at each endof the binder strip 32 and isslidably received within one of the tracks A or B. It is obviouslynecessary to provide means for holding the screen in its extendedposition against the retracting influence of the spring 26 and for thispurpose I have provlded a spring latch at each side of the windowopening. One of these spring latches is shown in detail in Fig. 6 and isdesignated by the numeral 47. Each latch is attached at its upperend-only and has its lower end flaring inwardly of the window openingand provided at one side with a laterally turned lug 48 having its lowermargin spaced slightly above the window sill. or ledge 22 and adapted toengage an end portion of the ledge 33 of the binder strip when saidlatchis moved into cont-act with said sill or ledge.

lhe lug 48 has a sloping inner face adapted action of the with the ledge83. v

Heretofore, it has been customary to mount the latches similar to mylatches 47 directly on the lower end portions of the tracks. I havefound disadvantages with this arrangementand have provided a specialcarrier for each latch, which carrier is adapted to be mounted onthetrack and to be adjustable thereon. mounting the latch directly onthe track is that it is not always possible to make the track of theproper length for a given installation before it leaves the factory. Asthe track is of special formation at its upper end, it can not easily becut off at the upper end to make it fit a given job and if the latchv ispermanentl attached to the lower end of the track, t e track can not becut OK at its lower end, for if this weredone, the latch would not comein the proper position. Hence, if the workman installing the apparatuswas too long, he would either have to send for another track of theproper length or would be compelled to cut out a section between theends of the track, thus making an undesirable joint in the track and aninstallation that would probably cause trouble in the'operation of thescreen. The special carrier I have provided, is shown particularly inFigs. 4 and 6 and comprises a tubular portion 49 adapted to fit snugly,the tubular guide portion 29 of the track and having on one side avertical slot 50 corresponding with the track. Opposite to the slot 50,the carrier may be formed with a double flanged portion 51 to embracethe attaching flange 30 of the track. The carrier is adapted to betelescopically mounted on the lower end of the track and is closed atits lower end by means of an abutment or wall 52 designed to limitupward movement of the carrier relative to the track. 'The spring latch47 is attached at its upper end to the tubular part 49 of the carrier,as shown in Fig. 3, by means of a flange 53 which may be soldered orw'lded to the same. carrier is so positioned on the track that thespring latch comes in the proper place to engage the ledge of the binderstrip and downward movement or removal of the carrier from the track isprevented by the window 'sill' '22 after thetrack has been installedwiththe carrier thereon. By the use of this special carrier, the workman maycut off the tracks to the proper length after he arrives uponthe job andhas accurately measured One difficulty with found that the track he hadthe yertical slot 31 of The carrier, and a spring dow frame. If heshould inadvertently cut the track too short so that the abutment 52will not contact with the lower end of the track when the latch 47 is inits proper position, then he may by the use of the ordinary tools in hiskit, provide a supplementary means to limit the upward movement of thecarrier before the abutment reaches the lower end of the track. He maydo this by striking out a lug or car 54: from the attaching flange 80 ofthe track (Fig. 5) and bend said lug slightly to one side at the properelevation to engage a shoulder 55 (Fig. 6) at the upper end of theflange 51 of the carrier. By this means the installing workman caneasily produce the proper relations of the latch with the track andwindow ledge and do it so as to make a satisfactoryjob.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described including a fabric arranged to bewound and unwound, tracks arranged to receive the side marginal portionsof said fabric and having slots through which the fabric extends, andspring latches arranged to hold the fabric in extended position; latchcarriers comprising members telescopically embracing end portions ofsaid tracks, said carriers being formed with means for engaging the endsof the tracks to limit end movement relative thereto, said springlatches being attached to and carried by said carriers.

- 2. In a device of the class described including a fabric arranged tobe wound and unwound, tracks arranged to receive the side marginalportions of said fabric and having slots through which the fabricextends,

spring -latches arranged to hold the fabric being formed with auxiliarymeans for engaging said latch carriers to limit the movement of saidcarriers before they have reached the ends of said tracks.

3. A latching means for a rolling window screen having a screen arrangedfor the travel of its side margins in vertical guide tracks, saidlatching means comprising a carrier having a body portion fitted to andslidable on the lower end of a guide track, said carrier being formedwith an abutment for engaging the lower end of the guide track andlimiting upward movement of the latch carried by said carrier forholding the screen in extended position.

4. A latching means for a rolling window the lower end of a guide track,said body portion being formed with a vertical slot registering with theslot of said guide track,

said carrier being formed with an abutment for engaging the lower end ofthe guide track and limiting upward movement of the carrier, and aspring latch carried by said carrier for holding the'screen'in extendedposition.

5. A latching means for a rolling window screen having a' screenarranged for the travel of its side margins in vertical guide tracks,said latching means comprising a carrier having a body portion fitted toand slidable on the lower endof a guide track, said carrier being formedwith an. abutment for engaging the lower end of the guide track andlimiting upward movement of the carrier, a spring latch carried by saidcarrier for holding the screen in extended po sition, and means on saidcarrier for engaging a portion of the track before said abutment reachesthe lower end of the track.

6. A latching means for a screen having a fabric arranged for travel ofits side margins in vertical guide tracks, said latching meanscomprising a carrier .having a body portion adjustable on the lower endof a guide track, said carrier being formed with means for engaging aportion of the guide track to limit upward movement of the carrier, anda latch member carried by said carrier for holding the fabric inextended position.

7. A latgh for a rolling window screen having a laterally directed ledgeon its lower margin, comprising a resilient body member attached at itsupper end to a support,

and .a lug on said body member directed toward the median line of thescreen, said lug having a sloping inner face adapted to be engaged bythe ledge of said'screen in its downward travel.

8. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directed ledgeon its lower margin, comprising a resilient body member attached at itsupper end to a support and having its lower portion normally inclinedtoward the median line of the screen,

and a lug on said body member directed toward the median line of thescreen, said lug having a sloping inner face adapted to be engaged bythe ledge of said screen in its downward travel.

9. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directed ledgeon its lower margin, comprising a resilient body member attached at itsupper end to a support, and a lug on said body member directed towardthe median line of the screen, said lug having a sloping inner faceadapted to be engaged by the ledge ofsaid screen in its downward travel,the lower margin of said lug being spaced above the farthest point oftravel of the screen a distance corresponding substantially with thethickness of said ledge.

10. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directedledge on its lower margin, comprising a resilient body member attachedat its upper end to a support and. having its lower portion normallyinclined toward the median line of the screen, and a lug on said bodymember directed toward thev median line of the screen, said lug having asloping inner face adapted to be engaged by the ledge of said screen inits downward travel, to push said latch laterally and permit passage ofthe ledge, the lower margin of the lug being adapted to engage the uppersurface of said ledge when the latch has resumed its normal position.

11. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directedledge on its lower margin, comprising a resilient member attached at itsupper end to a support, and a lug on said member directed toward themedian line of the screen, said lug having a sloping inner face adaptedto be engaged by the ledge of said screen in its downward travel, topush said latch laterally and permit passage of the ledge, the lowermargin of the lug being adapted to engage the upper surface of saidledge when the latch has resumed its normal position.

12. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directedledge on its lower margin, comprising a resilient member attached at itsupper end to a support, and a lug on said member directed toward themedian line of the screen, said lug having a sloping inner face adaptedto be engaged by the ledge of said screen in its downward travel, topush said latch laterally and permit passage of the ledge, the lowermargin of the lug being adapted to engage the upper surface of saidledge when the latch has resumed its normal position and the lowermargin of said lug terminating short of the lower edge ofthe member uponwhich it is formed whereby the portion of the member below the lug willstrike against the outer edge of the ledge when the latch has resumedits normal position.

13. A latch for a rolling window screen having a laterally directedledge on 1ts lower margin and a track for the slde edge of the screen,comprising a resilient member adinstably carried by the track, and a lugon said member directed toward the med an line of the screen, said lughaving a sloping inner face adapted to he engaged by the ledge of saidscreen inits downward travel, to push said latch laterally and permitpassage of the ledge, the lower margin of the 5 lug being adapted toengage the upper suriace of said ledge when the latch has resumed itsnormal position and the lower edge of the ledge when the latch hasresumed its normal posit10n.

NELS H. NELSON.

